Hospital bosses ignored pleas to call police after nurse was 'spooked' by Lucy Letby's shifts, inquiry hears
by Nicole Wootton-Cane · Manchester Evening NewsHospital bosses ignored calls from a nursing chief to involve police after she was 'spooked' by a baby's condition when Lucy Letby was on duty, an inquiry has heard.
The Thirlwall Inquiry has been told that despite concerns raised by consultants about patient safety and the potential deliberate harm by Letby in June 2016, the Countess of Chester Hospital leaders opted for an external review and several internal investigations instead of contacting Cheshire Police.
The inquiry, which examines the events surrounding the killer nurses crimes, heard nursing chief Sian Williams carried out a rota analysis following unexpected incidents in the neonatal unit. She told the inquiry on Tuesday (November 5) that her research indicated Letby was "80 per cent more likely to be on duty either during or before a baby collapsed".
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However, despite sharing her findings with the executive team and having a one-on-one with medical director Ian Harvey about a specific baby's repeated collapses linked to Letby's presence - which also were stable when she was not in - no immediate action involving the authorities was taken.
Ms Williams told the inquiry: "That spooked me, I have to say that spooked me."
Ms Williams told Shahram Sharghy, who represents some families of Letby's victims, that upon informing Mr Harvey about her findings, he said he would verify the details. When Mr Sharghy inquired, "Did he or any other member of the executive team seem surprised or indeed worried by what you had told them about your findings? " Ms Williams responded, "I don’t recall them saying anything that would give me that impression."
She also informed the hospital executives of a past incident where the police were summoned concerning potential deliberate harm on an adult ward at the same hospital.
Recalling the call from a former chief executive, Ms Williams said: "I got a phone call from a previous chief executive saying could I come down? He said somebody had brought this concern that somebody may be switching off pumps which deliver fluids to patients, I think it was in the high dependency setting.
"We had a very brief conversation and said we both believed we should inform the police and they would make their decision as to what do. So he rang the police.
"The police came in straight away. They didn’t want you to do your own investigation or anything like that."
Ms Williams said she had recommended hospital authorities consider a similar immediate report to the police but was consistently informed they had "taken advice" to conduct their internal probe first.
(Image: PA Wire/PA Images)
Mr Sharghy queried: "In terms of the number of times you raised the issue about calling the police and it not being accepted, do you feel there was something wrong with the structure or the system within the trust that effectively didn’t listen to concerns of senior individuals such as yourself? " Ms Williams responded: "Yes, I got the impression they had taken advice – where from I couldn’t say – and they firmly believed they were following what they should have done."
She told the inquiry she thought the executive team were "clear in their minds" that the deaths were a result of substandard care and not intentional harm by Letby. Mr Sharghy pressed: "Who discouraged you from going to the police yourself? " Ms Williams admitted: "I wasn’t privy to all the information ... I should have gone. However, the consultants didn’t do it."
Mr Sharghy continued: "And did you know because of either from your experience on the previous occasion or from just general everyday life, that you could have contacted the police anonymously? " Ms Williams answered: "I never even thought about doing it anonymously."
Notes from a meeting on July 11, 2016, involving executives, managers, and clinicians discussing the situation with Letby after consultants voiced concerns, revealed that then-chief executive Tony Chambers had noted: "There is correlation with a nurse but we know change in acuity and activity."
He added: "A week ago only option to ring the police but now more info."
"We can create harm to nurse – fragile toxic.
"Need to protect it."
Consultant Ravi Jayaram was quoted as saying: "Should not be blinkered to the unspeakable. Fine balance, my objectivity compromised."
Another consultant, John Gibbs, expressed: "Main worry is nurse therefore must be totally supervised. Cast iron assurance."
Later that month, Letby was reassigned to clerical duties in the hospital’s risk and patient safety department rather than continuing to work supervised on the neonatal unit. Cheshire Police were finally alerted by Mr Chambers in May 2017, but Letby continued her employment at the hospital until her initial arrest in July 2018.
Letby, 34, is currently serving 15 whole-life orders after being found guilty at Manchester Crown Court of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven others, with two attempts on one of her victims, between June 2015 and June 2016. The inquiry is anticipated to continue until early 2025, with the findings expected to be published by late autumn of that year.